A recent endowment will provide a $1,000 award to a fashion student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University every year.
North Vancouver-based outdoor apparel retailer Arc'teryx Equipment announced Tuesday it had donated $20,000 to KPU to establish the Arc'teryx Pursuit of Perfection Endowed Award, which will be handed out each year in perpetuity to a third-or fourth-year student enrolled in the university's fashion design and technology program.
"We've been incredibly fortunate to have been able to hire some very talented students through our current internship program with KPU. As a fast-growing company, we know that to maintain our brand position as a global leader in technical apparel, we need to invest in developing and ensuring that we have a constant pipeline of that local talent coming to us. This is the first step in that direction," Jennifer Martin, director of human resources for Arc'teryx, stated in a company press release.
Nancy Fedoruk graduated from KPU in 2011 and currently serves as design developer for Arc'teryx's Essentials and Traverse team. Her career started with an internship with the company as a student.
"I was constantly learning both at school and work, which kept me motivated to succeed. I always knew technical apparel was where I wanted to be in the fashion industry," Fedoruk said.
Through its endowed award, Arc'teryx says it aims to support local up-and-coming designers "who are harnessing the skills the region's apparel industry desperately needs."
The award is also part of the company's investment in "trade, city and country," stated Shirley Chan, director of product commercialization and quality.
"Apparel trade is a skill and an art, and the apparel trade in Vancouver has lost its way," she stated. "Watching our talent trickle outside the province because we can't fuel talent is not what we want to see. This is not just a problem exclusive to Arc'teryx - it's a problem within our country and industry as a whole."
The first Arc'teryx Pursuit of Perfection award is scheduled for this year, and will go to "a student who is passionate about and skilled in craftsmanship, drafting and sewing."
